Obligatory accident insurance OUFL

The third element of occupational pension provisioning in Liechtenstein, in addition to the pension fund and the health insurance is obligatory accident insurance (OUFL). Liechtenstein employers are obliged to insure their employees against accidents and occupational diseases.

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OUFL is subdivided into occupational and non-occupational accident insurance. Occupational accident insurance covers occupational accidents as well as occupational diseases. This is paid by the employer. Non-occupational accident insurance covers all accidents that may occur during the leisure time of employers, and provides the same benefits as occupational insurance. Premiums for non-occupational accident insurance are borne by employees, however. In this case, the employer deducts the sum directly from the salary and remits this to the insurer.

All persons employed in Liechtenstein have obligatory insurance. This also applies to:

Family members of an employer who draw a cash salary and pay OASI contributions.

Persons who have secondary earnings or hold a secondary position. They must be insured for these activities if OASI contributions are imposed upon their earnings.

Part-time employees whose working week at an employer amounts to less than 8 hours are insured only against occupational accidents. For these persons, accidents on the way to work are deemed to constitute occupational accidents. Self-employed persons in Liechtenstein and their co-working family members who are not insured on an obligatory basis may insure themselves voluntarily.

Start and end of the insurance obligation

Insurance cover starts on the day on which the employee commences or should have commenced the work on the basis of the position of employment, in each case at the time he departs for work. Insurance cover ends on the 30th day after the day on which the entitlement to at least half the salary ends. The salary is also deemed to constitute, inter alia, daily benefits provided by obligatory accident insurance, health insurance, unemployment insurance as well as disability insurance (IV), insofar as these replace continued salary payments.

Insurance protection for non-occupational accidents can be extended by a further 180 days by means of so-called interim insurance, if this is agreed within the 30-day subsequent cover period.

Benefits

out-patient treatment by a physician, dentist or on their instruction by another person licensed in another health profession for the purposes of obligatory health insurance

drugs and analyses prescribed by a doctor or dentist

treatment, nursing care and accommodation in the general ward of a hospital

rehabilitation and spa treatments prescribed by a physician

drugs and therapeutic devices conducive to healing

the cost of home nursing prescribed by a doctor, as well as of equipment to offset physical injuries or functional deficits (for example prostheses) as well as the cost of property damage, travel, transport and rescue expenses, corpse transport and burial costs

Cash benefits

The maximum sum of the insured earnings is CHF 148,200.00 per annum. To calculate the level of daily benefits, the last salary drawn before the accident is used, while the salary drawn within one year before the accident is used to calculate the level of pension benefits.

Daily benefits

If the insured person becomes wholly or partially unable to work as the consequence of an accident, he shall be entitled to daily benefits. In the event of full incapacity for work, this amounts to 80 percent of insured earnings, and shall be paid from the second day after the day of the accident. In the case of partial incapacity for work, the daily benefit shall be correspondingly reduced.

Disability pension

If the insured person becomes disabled as the consequence of an accident, he shall be entitled to a disability pension if the disability amounts to 10 percent or more. In the case of full disability, this amounts to 80 percent of the insured earnings, in the case of partial disability a correspondingly lower figure. If the insured person is entitled to an OASI or disability pension, he shall be provided with a complementary pension by the accident insurer that raises the OASI or disability pension to up to 90 percent of the insured earnings. If the degree of disability of the pensioner changes substantially, the pension shall be correspondingly raised, reduced or withdrawn.

Integrity compensation

If the insured person suffers permanent substantial damage to physical or mental integrity as the result of an accident, he shall be entitled to reasonable integrity compensation in the form of a financial benefit.

Helplessness allowance

Whosoever is permanently dependent on third party support for daily tasks or personal supervision on account of disability is entitled to a helplessness allowance. The level of the helplessness allowance is determined by the degree of helplessness.

Survivor's pensions

If the insured person dies as a consequence of the accident, the surviving spouse and the children may, under certain circumstances, be entitled to a survivor’s pension.

Survivor’s pensions are based on the level of the insured earnings:

for widows and widowers 40 percent

for half-orphans 15 percent

for full-orphans 25 percent

in the case of several survivors, the maximum pension amounts to 70 percent of the insured earnings. If survivors are entitled to an OASI or disability pension, they will be provided with a complementary pension that raises the OASI or disability pension to up to 90 percent of the insured earnings.

The following insurers are licensed to provide obligatory accident insurance in Liechtenstein: